Random cuteness!

egg painting

Over the weekend we decide to let the boys try their hand at egg painting.

H is wearing brown pants, Z the blue.

for a little while they were concerned about the paint they were getting on them, until we convinced them it was ok. Then they decided painting themselves looked like fun too. And they had a blast ....right up until that last pic.....that's Z btw....waterworks time.

when life hands you lemons....make a mohawk!

Say what????
Ok, I'll apologize for the mixed metaphor. I just felt it was too long to write:

When life hands you (a wet mommy getting out of the shower) two 2yr olds who figured out while you were showering how to get the dog dish out of the sink and stand on it to then be able to reach the brand new bottle of baby lotion, and then figure out how to get that working (you know how hard sometimes the new bottles are to get started), and then managed to cover themselves from head to toe in said lotion, as well as have poopies in their diapers all while you are expecting 2 visitors in less than one half an hour.

Actually H mainly concentrated putting the lotion on his legs and body- on top of his clothes and Z decided his hair was the best place for it. And then I got a phone call asking if they could come earlier. Ummmm I am in the middle of a major mess and I'm still only half dressed, sorry but I need at least a half an hour (sometimes just the 2 diaper changes can take that long if the guys decide to not cooperate!)

So, since we didn't have time for another bath......and yes they did do this on a day when we did a bath first thing in the morning..... I got them changed and did the only thing possible w/ Z's hair. Well there were 2 options, either the slicked back look of a greaser or a mohawk. We opted for the faux mohawk.

He really works it doesn't he?

What's new....

The boys are napping and I am just finishing my lunch. So I thought I'd jot down a few things.



The boys potty training continues. They are just so cute about it. Funniest images that I don't have pictures of (so you have to use your imaginations here) :

• the boys sitting toboggan style on the big toilet (hey they are learning to share- ha ha!!!)


• the shuffle walk w/ pants around their ankles - this is new. last Friday was the first day we didn't take off their pants when using a potty. we were at the mall and using one of the "family bathrooms" that have those great mini toilets and they were all for it!

Other new things.... hmm..... the boys can jump now. It started last month and it is hysterical.

Zachary slept through the night last night! I normally would say ....wooooohoooooo, but I know better. We actually in the 10 months that we have been home have had one, yes that is right, one night where both boys slept through the night. That was followed by Scott saying, "I think we are turning the corner" unfortunately it was a U-turn and instead of better we got way worse. I am crossing my fingers that once there 2 yr molars are all the way in that we'll get better in the sleep area . (Please, please, please....w/ sugar on top!) Hunter had a pretty normal (for him) rough night of sleep, waking at 11:20, 12:30, 1:30 3:30, 5:30.....and then I brought him into our bed so I could get a tiny bit of sleep

- sorry boys waking up, this is all there is time for!

Z has joined the party!

The potty party that is.

It has been over a month that H has been using the potty. And poor Z was getting rather frustrated. You could tell as he looked down in the potty and nothing was there that he was trying to figure out just how to make it all work. So I tried to limit his exposure to H using the potty. For a little while Z even stopped asking to take his pants off.

But then a few days ago he decided he wanted to give it another go. It was pretty funny. It was one of those mornings that he was awake before H and we left the room and ventured to the bathroom (for mommy). Then daddy came and knocked on the door and we knew that he was out there w/ H. immediately Z started tugging on his pants. It was like he wanted to beat H to pick out one of the potties. (they sometimes battle over using a certain one even though they are identical). So he was stripped down and H was still sleepy and not even thinking about potty use yet, when Z stood up and looked down and got the BIGGEST GRIN EVER! He did it! One month and 2 days after H started using it. But he made up for lost time. He decided to use it 3 more times that day. And since then he has been using it a few times a day since....including amazing both daddy and I by on his 3rd day of using it managing to do a poopee as well! (I know TMI but we are just so proud!!!!!) H has only done one of those so far and it was many days (15?, 20?) after his first potty attempt.


So now we have both boys attempting to potty train themselves. I am still not the initiator. I let them tell me when they want to use it. And so far this no pressure concept is working well. They also now have 2 potty books, which they like to have read to them over and over and over.

Oh and as far as the whole rewards bit....well we discovered that washing their hands is reward enough. Sometimes after we have finished and have done the handwashing, one of them will indicate that he wants to wash his hands again. And I say, well ...when you go potty again you will get to wash your hands then. To which whichever boy it was will sit down and promptly force out a tiny bit more just for the joy of another hand wash. Too funny! And they both do it!

And I have begun buying (to Scott's amusement) some very tiny undies for them for when they are really ready. I had heard how hard it is to find them small enough for tiny bums....and its true. I found a couple different brands and even after washing them they are still pretty lg in the smallest size we could find (2). Maybe a few more washings w/ some very high heat on the dryer will help out. And of course there is the possibility that we won't need them for another year and their bums will be slightly larger by then.

I do have to say the tiny bums has to be one of the funniest parts of having become a parent through adoption. One thing Scott and I were sure of, was that our kids would both have bubble butts. We both were called names something like that when we were younger, and we were sure no matter what else our kids would look like...they would take after us in that department. We were wrong!! And I do have to say, these tiny little bums just have to be about the cutest little things I have ever seen!

Of course they do present some challenges clothing wise.

I have been asked what size the boys are wearing ...and it is an interesting answer:


pants...18mnths

shirts 18mnths (or larger w/ sleeves rolled up)

overalls or anything that is one piece from neck to the crotch - either 24mnths or 2t w/ the legs rolled up and the sleeves rolled up. These guys are long bodied so they outgrow the body way quicker than the leg length.

I have to say the best invention is the adjustable tabs on the inside of the waists. Without those even their 18mnth pants would be too big and fall down.

I have also heard of a product called dapper snappers that we'll probably be investing in our future quest to keep their pants up. http://www.dappersnappers.com/main.html

Well anyway... oh and we are all feeling MUCH BETTER! Yeah!